Boone

Boone is the county seat of Watauga County and the largest town in this guide. The published elevation is 3,333 feet. The legislature chartered the town in its 1871-72 session, and 1872 is the incorporation year that follows. The town is named for Daniel Boone. The 2020 census counted 19,092 residents, before the university crowd that fills the sidewalks during term.

Appalachian State University is part of daily life here. King Street is the downtown spine. This is where you find the groceries, the hospital, and the road junctions. U.S. 321 runs southeast toward Blowing Rock. N.C. 105 runs toward the Banner Elk side of the mountains. The Blue Ridge Parkway is a short drive, not a street through downtown. You'll smell coffee and wet pavement more often than spruce.

Blowing Rock is southeast on U.S. 321, with Tweetsie Railroad between them. Banner Elk, Sugar Mountain, and Beech Mountain sit west and higher. Seven Devils is a nearby town that does not have its own page in this guide.